This is a recipe I adapted from the New York Time’s featured recipe for No-Knead Bread.

Everyone and their mother seems to be making this right now and believe me there is a reason! This bread is gorgeous -it has a golden, crispy crust and soft airy dough  – EVERY SINGLE TIME – and basically zero effort too!

I have found a few hints and tips through trial and error and also chatting to others who are loving this adapted recipe – shout-outs to Jac and Stephanie ;-).

I will share them all with you here, then I will go on to the recipe 😀

*Tips and advice before you begin*

• You can use very hot water – as hot as you could stand in a shower for example – NOT boiling –  for faster proofing of the dough after mixing (3 hours compared to the usual minimum of 12 hours) 
• A pinch of sugar will help feed the yeast in the proofing process too – yeast loves sugar
• You don’t need to have a bowl with matching lid to bake it – I use a Pyrex bowl with and upside down pie dish on top
• Make sure you flour the dish you’re using to bake it in before you put in the dough or it will be a nightmare to remove
• You can use baking paper/baking parchment (not grease-proof, it’s not the same thing and will stick) to line the bowl once the dough is shaped if you prefer but a well oiled & floured bowl works as well and prevents waste. 
• You can use plain white flour, strong white flour or a mixture of the two if you just have a small amount of one of them left – I’ve used both on their own and a mix of the two and it comes out the same either way so use what you have.
• if you like a wholemeal loaf, the best combination is 1/2 white flour and 1/2 wholemeal with an extra pinch of sugar – the loaf will be slightly smaller but still delicious.
• I like to mix the dough at night and leave it to rest overnight, then when I wake up I will shape it, leave it for an hour while I get ready for the day, and it’s in the oven then an hour after I wake up  – who doesn’t love freshly baked bread in the morning?

Now for the gold 😉

What you’ll need:

• kitchen scales
• measuring jug
• measuring spoons
• 2 medium-large mixing bowls
• 1 Pyrex/cast Iron/oven safe ceramic deep (at least 4 inches) pot with a lid – see tip above if you don’t have one with a lid – approx 8 to 10 inches, 20cm to 25cm, in diameter
• fork

 

Ingredients:

• 385g of plain flour or strong white flour
• pinch of sugar (½ tsp if you’re unsure)
• ¼ tsp instant yeast or fast action dried yeast
• 1¼ tsp salt
• 350ml of hot water, not boiling
• *extra flour for sprinkling and 1 tbsp of oil*

 

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, add the water and combine using a fork – the dough will be wet and shaggy.
2. Cover the bowl with clingfilm/clean tea towel and leave somewhere warmish (I normally leave it top of the fridge) for between 3 and 22 hours.
3. There should be bubbles formed on top and it should be at least doubled in size.
4. Generously sprinkle flour a clean work surface, then tip out the dough onto it – it will be slow but might need a little help, rub some oil on your fingers to coax it out around the edges.
5. Flour your hands and sprinkle a small bit onto the dough too, then pat it out flat enough that you can fold it.
6. Fold it like a small towel, bring the side in to the center then the front and back, then pat it into a round shape – keep flouring your hands if you need to.
7. Use 1 tbsp of oil to coat the inside of the mixing bowl then generously sprinkle flour around the inside of the bowl.
8. Quickly and confidently pick up the dough and place it into the bowl, smooth side up if possible but this isn’t crucial.
9. Cover the bowl again and place it somewhere warmish again for at least 45 mins.
10. It should be almost double the size again when it’s ready to bake.
11. Half an our before baking, heat the oven to its highest heat (usually around 240°C/250°C but if your oven goes higher then go with it) and place the lidded dish in there for 30 mins.
12. Carefully take the dish out of the oven and take off the lid then sprinkle in some flour around the base.
13. Tip the dough in to the hot dish, sprinkle a little flour or seeds on top if desired, place the lid on and put into the oven for 30 mins.
14. Remove the lid and leave in the oven for a further 10 to 20 mins for the crust to turn a deep golden brown.
15. Remove from the dish immediately when done and leave to cool on a wire rack.

You’ll be making this again and again and again, believe me!

Slice with sharp bread knife on a board, slather with some real butter and enjoy 🙂

Emma x